Talking Parents goes paid Monday 1 June

Talking Parents is going paid.
Larkling isn't.

From Monday 1 June, the Talking Parents free tier disappears. Larkling's stays — messaging, shared calendar, tamper-evident records, free forever. Built in the UK for every kind of family. The first 200 on the waitlist get a free month of Premium at launch.

No credit card. Free tier is genuinely free. You can keep using it forever.

You're not stuck.

If you've been using Talking Parents for the documentation alone, the change in pricing puts you in an awkward spot — pay up, or lose access to a record you may need later.

Here's what most people don't realise: you can export your Talking Parents history before the change. You don't have to start from nothing, and you don't have to keep paying for an app that no longer fits your family.

Larkling is a co-parenting app built in 2026 from the ground up — not a 2014 product with a fresh coat of paint. The free tier covers what most families actually need: messaging with a co-parent, a shared calendar, and a permanent, tamper-evident record of every message.

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Genuinely free

Messaging, shared calendar, two children, one co-parent, tamper-evident records — free forever. No credit card asked at signup.

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Court-ready records

Every message is timestamped and cryptographically hashed. Premium adds a tamper-evident PDF export formatted for UK and US courts.

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Built for every family

Pronoun fields. Flexible family roles. Same-sex co-parents, blended, donor, kinship, platonic — the language and design fit you.

An honest comparison

Talking Parents has a longer track record in courtrooms. Larkling is newer, cheaper per family, and built for households that didn't exist in the original co-parenting-app playbook. Pick what's right for you.

Larkling Talking Parents
Free messagingUnlimited, foreverLimited / paid
Shared calendarFreeYes
Tamper-evident recordsSHA-256 hashed, free tierYes, paid tier
Court-ready PDF exportPremium £6.99/moPaid tier, US-priced
Pricing per familyOne price, both parentsPer-parent
LGBTQ+ inclusive designBuilt-inNo
Pronoun fieldsYesNo
AI Tone CoachFree + Premium tiersNo
Data locationEU (Ireland), GDPR-nativeUnited States
UK-specific guidance (CAFCASS, Section 7)YesNo
Established court track recordNewer (since 2026)Established

If you're in active high-conflict litigation and your solicitor has specifically asked for Talking Parents, stay with it. For most families, Larkling does the same job for less.

Pricing

One free tier that's actually useful. One Premium tier, per family, for everything else.

Free

£0

Forever. No credit card.

  • Unlimited messaging (7-day history)
  • Shared calendar
  • Up to 2 children, 1 co-parent
  • Tamper-evident records
  • 3 Tone Coach checks (lifetime)
Start free

7-day money-back guarantee on Premium. US pricing: $8.99 / $43.99 / $71.99.

Common questions from Talking Parents users

Can I export my Talking Parents message history before moving?

Yes. Talking Parents lets you generate a PDF of your message history from the records section of your account. Do this before the pricing change so you have a copy regardless of what happens next. Keep the PDF and any email exports somewhere safe — these remain admissible even if you stop using the app.

Will Larkling records hold up in court?

Larkling timestamps every message and stores a SHA-256 cryptographic hash, which is what makes the record tamper-evident. Premium adds a formal PDF export designed for UK family courts (CAFCASS, Section 7) and US proceedings. Larkling is newer than Talking Parents, so we don't yet have the same length of courtroom track record — but the underlying record format meets the standard solicitors look for.

What if my case is already in progress?

Keep your existing Talking Parents records — they're already part of the evidence trail. You can run Larkling alongside as a free secondary record, or move fully if the cost change is the reason you're looking. If your solicitor has specifically asked for Talking Parents, ask them whether a parallel Larkling record is acceptable before switching.

What does the free tier actually include?

Unlimited messaging with your co-parent, shared family calendar, two child profiles, one connected co-parent, the last seven days of message history in-app (older messages stay archived and exportable), and three Tone Coach checks total. Free is free — no card, no time limit, no surprise downgrade.

What's Tone Coach?

An AI that reads a message before you send it and flags language likely to escalate conflict, then suggests a calmer alternative. Useful when you're tired, angry, or worried something you wrote will be screenshot and used against you. Free tier gets three lifetime checks; Premium gets 30 per day.

Where is my data stored?

The European Union (Ireland), under GDPR. Talking Parents stores data in the United States under US data law. If EU residency matters to you — for example because you're a UK or EU resident in active proceedings — this is a meaningful difference.

What's the catch with the "free month for first 200"?

There isn't one. Larkling is pre-launch and the first 200 waitlist sign-ups get one month of Premium added to their account at launch. After 200, the offer ends. After your free month, you can either continue on Premium at £6.99/mo or drop back to the free tier — your records stay either way.

Join the first 200.

You'll get a free month of Premium at launch — plus an early heads-up when Larkling opens to new families. No spam, no card, unsubscribe any time.